Well...

I will buy it no matter what :P. No more comment...

Only 7 songs (maybe 8). Thats only 3 (or 4) new songs :( Maybe ayu's planning something big and this is jus a distraction for us??? *prays*

^1 (or 2) new song(s), as we'll probably hear both JEWEL and 1LOVE before the release... which I think is a bad move from avex's side.

er... so an album with 15 songs (well 2 interludes) is called "mini-album"?? (m)u is a full length studio album.. even tho half of the songs are already released as singles, it's full length no matter what. LOVEppears has the similar condition (8 songs out of 17 are pre-released in single, 1 song released as a single on the same day as the album release, 2 songs were released as singles later on).

if she didn't have the eye problem, everything would not be the same probly. It's possible that she released JEWEL/1LOVE as a double-A in September, then she recorded 3 or 4 more songs in LA. If that happened we would get another studio album (like 11 songs + 1 interlude... similar to Duty album).

With that eye problem she needed to get some rest, so everything is shifted around... no more time to record more songs (or... she's already recorded some new songs and decided to release them as new singles in 2007).

to me... this is not too bad at all. it's better than releasing JEWEL/1LOVE as double A on the 29th and against the famous NANA single...

Good theory about hte eye problem there... I wonder how serious it really was.

Everything we knew about it was basically that she had to wear sunglasses all the time, hehe.

I agree. Maybe they will even show the PVs to all the new tracks in TV as they did with "Memorial address"... :( I wish they would leave them as DVD-only-PVs or just release some kind of short version of it before we get the actual disc.
I just prefer to leave as much as possible as a surprise...

And as for the eye injury: Who knows, maybe ayu would have released a mini-album anyway. As already stated, we basically do know nothing about how serious it was. Maybe we will get to know more in future interviews - I hope so. I was really worried!

And I really hope that we will have translations for those interviews, because there'll be interviews for sure. Let's hope they mention the injury and how it affected her various decisions.

I'm pretty sure that at least ONE of the coming magazines or TV shows will ask her the question why she decided to release a mini album.

i hope they don't show the 1love PV or Jewel pv on televison to make this mini miracle or disaster worth buying. They probally focused on the promotion of koda kumi this year i am still amazed at how fast she rised to stardom maybe next year they will promote Ayu again with her 11 song filled singles and stuff like that

Everybody here is discussing the album and what will happen with it.

I just can't wait to hear (JEWEL and 1LOVE) and the new songs that may be on it. :)

i dont think it will be called jewel, but even if it is, i wouldnt mind! :) i cant wait~

@theprojectzero/bluegie - The term "mini album" only has to do with the actual minute length of all tracks featured on the album added up.

yeah i know, immel :P I'm just a bit surprised that theprojectzero thought (m)u as the mini album :D

at least avex's making a move to make sure ayu's next cd will get no. 1. I mean, there's definitely no slot for ayu to release a single with a guarantee no. 1 in november. it'll be too late if they release JEWEL/1LOVE (or whatever the song is) in mid or late december. The best thing to do right now is probly a mini-album. Probly she would have enough materials to release a full length album, but I guess it's easier to promote a mini in this situation.

I geuss she wanted to get a album out this year somehow, so instead of a full album, MINI ALBUM :o

:OMG Awesome! Thanks for the update! :thumbsup

Ah well, no full album. But I ordered the mini-album anyway.

I'll wait with any pre-ordering until there's been more news about the album, I wanna know about extras and stuff before I decide where and if to pre-order it.

So I guess it really is true! She's releasing a mini album! I just can't believe it! This will not even reach a million! :( And most of the songs are already released! Hopefully the rest of the songs are good if not better than the single songs.

At least that won't be anything new for Ayu.

Hopefully. I'm sure they'll be =)

wai!!! I can't WAIT!!! I really want to hear these new songs-like REALLY bad.

Official announcements make all the doubt go away, I love them.
Thankies for the news too!

True, but I still have hope that one day, (m)u will reach a million! :D

Please let this album be good (and be worth the money.)

I'm happy with a mini album for a change.

I bet many people will buy it cos they've been waiting so long for Ayu-stuff. I hope the cover will be STUNNING and not something like Startin' cover X_X!

And so, if things got delayed because of Ayu's eye thing, she probably has some stuff ready for 2007 already... and she rested a lot so with new energy she will amaze everyone with new singles and an album in 2007 :yes and who knows, maybe the tracklist will be changed later on? Maybe we'll get 5 new songs XD

There's a new mini-album? =O I'm so "late"! So, no single!

So... That means...

1. Startin'
2. Born to be...
3. BLUE BIRD
4. Beautiful Fighter
5. 1LOVE
6. JEWEL
7. new song

And that's it? =______= That would suck... If only it was like "Memorial address" where every song is great. But for this... 4 songs I don't like already... Oh well. Can't complain I guess. =/

I guess they really really wanted her to release an album after all.

The 3 new songs and PVs better be really good...

In case you're still in doubt, yes ;).

Join my club, the requirement is that you're wishing for a hidden or secret track.

While I myself like the songs released during 2006 I do agree on that they don't reach the same greatness as the Memorial address ones did.

And I guess you really really are not alone about that :D.

A new DVD, mini-album, calender... Aren't we spoiled? :P

^ Oooohhh. Yeah, I hope there's a hidden track! :yes

I also heard that she might release JEWEL/1love as a single on the day the album is out like she did with with LOVEppears and Duty (appears, Surreal) is there any truth to this?

Nothing official but that sounds SO farfetched

it means there would only be 1 new song on the album

I hope there's a hidden track too. Like kanariya. That one was good :yes Hopefully it's trance-like (i.e. Connected). She needs more songs like those!

I hope that isn't true. The single or the mini album would probably tank. No one would buy the single when you get the mini album for a little more plus it comes with a DVD for every PV.

^ hopefully that won't be the case.

One new song = bad :(

I don't think so at all. There might be a new single announcement soon though, but it'll probably not have songs featured on the upcoming album.

I do hope so! I'm thirsting for some new Ayu songs!

i'd still buy it... i love S'/BTB... yey!

My favourite hidden track is Flower Garden, which also makes a great live song.

I want another one like it, hehe.

Or something darker, like Memorial address on Memorial address, which is the "bonus track" of that album.

can't wait for the tracklist! a couple of new songs will do! and a lot of PVs PLEASE!

WOW WOW WOW!!!

thanks for the info, i like the colours :D

Honestly, I'm happy about this :p

But then this will make it so Ayu will most likely do four singles next year with like February/March => May/June => August/September => November.. :D

-spazzing-

I am betting on first week sales of 300k++

So how short does the album need to be, to be qualified as a mini album?

I think the eye problem had nothing to do with this. :|

It was probably a decision made before then.. since she had flights / etc. schedules pre-a-nation for magazine photoshoots and song recording in August.

I bet this year was not meant to be workload heavy for Ayu in terms of music release. I think next year will be jampacked, at least in comparison to this year.


I think that the reason why M.A stood out so much was because of the introduction of new directors for &. :x
If her PVs were all done by Wakaru and were all generic-like during the time, would you have liked the songs as much?

Imagine Because of You with only ayu like, standing there, HEAVEN-style. LOL
Thankfully we got Kouki <333~

[I sort of guess that Ayu didn't write too many songs in the period she was 'disabled' aka on vacation for 2 months LOL]

Well I'm buying this for sure. (I already have all her albums) Probably the tow versions too >.< So I'll be adding to the 300k :D

And four singles next year sounds great to me!! :D

4 singles would rock.

300k first week sales... that's SO LITTLE.

I like how our expectations just... go down the drain... lol.

Note that I put ++.

I mean 300k is the absolute least I expect.

The most I expect is a 500k+. :D
A 500k that slowly drops 10-15% a week <33 and rises suddenly in the Xmas week / CDL week :D :D

I expect the debut to be 400,000 and then drop dramatically! lol Only to sell 600,000.

I think the introduction to BOUNCEBACK as a composer to Memorial Address made it more enjoyable. They were new and fresh and rocks songs were so rare for Ayu. That's why M.A. stood out, because it was a new style.

We'll walk in our ignorant unknowledge for the rest of our lives, probably.

I wish we knew!

I want a ayu jammed year for sure... that's what we're all looking forward to now, I think.


No, most likely not.

Don't give me nightmares.

I don't think the album will tank too bad in terms of stability..
It isn't like this album will have a terrible cover and stuff. :|


I think the most this album will do is 700-900k. :B
(MINI ALBUM FOLKS ZOMG)

Judging from the layout, I think the overall 'theme' will be jewels and how we're all one of a kind as a person..

I honestly think that the fact that they chose three all new directors for &'s songs really helped M.A do as well as it did.

I wonder if the JEWEL / 1 LOVE / new song PVs will follow suit and not include Takaweirdo and Luis Hernanbutt. :O

No clue ... ugh ... just like there's no clear definition of what the difference between a huge single and a short mini album is... or what defines a maxi single.

It's different from music market to music market, the US and the UK has different definitions ... the same goes for Japan.

So the main song is JEWEL? My only thing....it better not be pink and sparkly. That would be a nightmare for me! :(

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I can't even compare it to Memorial address, really. =/ I mean, if there's only a couple new songs it'll probably be years before I buy it - it just wouldn't be worth the money to me.

Gosh. >__< I'll give it time to sink in. By Monday I'll no doubt be a lot more optimistic about this.

Aww ok. Thanks anyway though. Maybe I'll go research it myself lol

I feel your pain meerkitty. I couldn't believe it either. Then some people told me to join over here since this is an Ayu news site and it was true!! :(

Definately... the PVs is sort of what defines that album, sure the songs was all incredible, but racking up that many PVs with that quality is just outstanding.

I imagine that JEWEL will NOT be the title track.. :| Usually the 'title track' of an album never gets promotion outside of the album itself [Exceptions can kinda be pre-Duty and during Duty where like every song in the album had a promotional tie - in]..

I think it'll have something to do with jewels, but not really.. be 'JEWEL' as that would be lame.

@paper - I've tried... it's hard. Wikipedia is probably what can give you the most information, but like you know that isn't entirely reliable anyway.

That's pretty much what I'd guess on, too.

I hope the album is not called "JEWEL" lol. The flash intro about the new mini-album has jewels on it! XD I doubt there'll be a new single before this album... Anyway, I really want a beautiful cover! :P

:< So unenthusiastic. :p


Anyways, OMG. Now that we get a 'release', people are like: "Ew, why are you releasing this? :<"

I bet the cover will be all amazing and sparkly LOL Not too sparkly, but like.. Memorial address pretty with long straight hair or something.

Basically, I think a mini-album can be considered anything less than 10 tracks.. :|

I haven't seen many minialbums longer than that.

Duty was 12 tracks and it was her best selling full album :O

No, not another Memorial address cover, haha. Well, sparkly is fine with me, but NOT gold again >:x

Depends on the lenght of the tracks, too. I think you count the minutes, not the actual track numbers.

Hmmm...mini album.

Let's see with Startin', Born To Be, BLUE BIRD, Beautiful Fighters I think there might be maybe 4-5 new songs? Then there's 1LOVE and JEWEL so 2-3 more songs that we haven't heard about yet. I wonder if the new songs are going to have PVs like Memorial address.

No.

There has been news on every site like, ever LOL

7 songs total.
7 PVs total.

I sense an album track that we're not told about.

in no special order:
1. Startin'
2. Born to Be..
3. BLUE BIRD
4. Beautiful Fighters
5. JEWEL
6. 1 LOVE
7. -new song-
And finally what many people kinda want:
8. Most probable bonus track aka title song of the album :> Cause like, album tracks never have PVs. :p

It's already more or less confirmed that there will only be ONE new song. If you look at the track list, and everything that's been mentioned about it.

I'm wishing for a hidden/bonus track, like Memorial address from Ma.

I agree. Right now, I think 600k-700k sounds the most realistic to me.

ayu_fan929, Can you tell us what other albums are being released on the day that Ayu's mini album will be released?

^ Here:

11/29 浜崎あゆみ(ﾐﾆAL+DVD)､一青窈(Best)､ｽｷﾏｽｲｯﾁ(+DVD)､玉置成実 (Best/+DVD)､RIP SLYME､橘慶太(w-inds./+DVD)､
　　　　森山直太朗､松浦亜弥(+DVD)､Buzz72+､ﾃﾞｰﾓﾝ小暮(+DVD)

---------

Long straight hair = :heart

Whoops. I haven't checked other sites, so didn't know about that info existed.

XD....I'm getting really excited about this X3... XD wahh... it just happens to be when my dad has left HK, or me not in HK >_> this sucks lol o-o

CHEMISTRY is releasing their 1st BEST album on 11/22, so that could be interesting...

It's in the other mini-album news posts ;D

I think that a bonus track is HIGHLY likely.
I mean, who has ever heard of an album-title-song having a PV? >>

Especially from Ayu.

I wonder if they'll bring back the & trio. :o

CHEMISTRY doesn't sell that well in general though..

I think that they'll be able to do maybe 200k first week if they're popular enough.

Unless the album is called "JEWEL"...

Well, honestly, I don't think Ayu'd do that sort of thing. :|
Speculating about it now and actually being right would piss people off LOL

And I think that most album-title-songs don't have PVs simply because the album altogether speaks for the title track :D

That's true, their last album sold 250k. But since the CD does contain hits when they were popular, never know...

Well, I mean, you can kinda see it in their singles.. :|

Plus sales aren't doing that well anyway.

Can you really see a Nami Tamaki BEST on 11/29 outdoing Ayu? I don't think so. LOL

I don't see that title coming up as an album title... although, it might happen.

Hopefully the yet-to-be-announced track will be the title track. And it'll have a better name.

I have a feeling that they're holding back informaton from us >E lol

When was the last time the title track had a PV? :|

RAINBOW kinda counts-maybe-sorta. But it was on some other compilation album and was somewhat used to promote it..

Expecting AT LEAST 300k for Ayu, so then that's no threat.

What's the & trio?

wah! *whines* a MINI album >.<

What was great about "Memorial Address" is the variety of good songs and different styles that worked. One very pop-ish song, one "edgier" pop song, one dark pop/rock song, one hard rock song, one mid-tempo ballad, one very slow ballad and 2 rockish ballads. So far, the new mini album has 4 pop songs! Though different from another, for me, different pop styles that just isn't working very much. Hopefully the other 3 tracks (and maybe a 4th one? lol) will make the album shine! :yes

I hope there's no more new pop songs for this album! :P

I really would say don't whine, but what can you do? :p

Been aching for a release of some sort and it's finally here <33 <33

-swoon-

I was just looking back, but didn't RIP SLYME get 350k for their previous album? Wonder why they are so low down the list... (maybe it was a BEST album?)

eeeeek!
how exciting.
i love pv's. :]

The & trio is:
Kouki Tange - Because of You / ourselves
Hideo Sunaga - ANGEL'S SONG / Greatful days
Shuichi Tan - HANABI -episode II-

I think that M.A worked well because for each type of song there was, there was some other song of the same genre to support it as well.
:D


That and cause well, BOUNCEBACK > all :p

ourselves / Because of You / No way to say / Greatful days : BOUNCEBACK
ANGEL'S SONG / Memorial address : Tetsuya Yukimi
forgiveness / HANABI ep. II : CREA+DAI

Interesting.

A theory thrown out there:
Whenever Ayu releases a new thing, people nowadays don't really care if they've waited a months or a year for it.. it's just always compared to like an album like Memorial address or like some other single like & or something. :sad

Ayu fans are probably one of the most spoiled fans in the long run [the past 6 years+]

:|

i think we're kinda greedy.. most of us want a hidden/bonus track..
i'm more greedy... i want a bonus track at the end... then all of the sudden there's a hidden track after the bonus track.. LOL

that'll make the mini album 9 songs in total.. do we still call that a mini? :P
(I guess I'm just daydreaming..)

I like how you put it... it makes me sad though, heh, she's got a wee bit too much to live up to.

That's like, so true.

I'm pretty sure that Ayu can't really gain any masses of new fans, but maintaining the old ones will be harder and harder.

I honestly don't think it's greedy to 'want' a hidden track.

I don't want it out of greed, I am wondering if there is one because 7 PVs and 7 tracks seems a little fishy :|

I think she does gain new fans, since her concerts still continually sell out, but her period of 'gaining' a significant amount of fans occurred in like 2001. :|

Nowadays its just.. everyone knows Ayu LOL And it's either "EW!" OR "OOO! <3"

Does hidden tracks count towards the amount of songs? I mean like... officially?

I don't think they do